


Gone Fishin'

by alexcat



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Action/Adventure, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-02
Updated: 2014-09-02
Packaged: 2018-02-15 22:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,467
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2246016
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/alexcat/pseuds/alexcat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack O'Neill is the most bored man in the galaxy and he decides to run away from home and visit a young man who he hasn't seen a in long time.  His absence causes lots of problems for his friends but hey, he is O'Neill and you know how Jack is.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue: All Work and No Play  and Chapter One: Devil Take the Hindmost

**Author's Note:**

> This story is for the Sci-fi/Fantasy Big Bang for 2014. I'd like to thank the mods there for all the work they do wrangling and corralling all us writers and artists.  
> I'd also like to thank Paian for the cool art work. Here is a link to the master post with all the art: http://sg-art.dreamwidth.org/35929.html  
> Thanks to Larry for the beta work.

Prologue – All Work and No Play 

 

Jack O’Neill hated his job. He was never meant to be a desk jockey. Heading _Homeworld Security_ was boring to him. Jack was a man of action or at the very least, a man of not sitting indoors at a desk all day. 

He could go somewhere… but where? 

Sam was busy. Daniel was busy. Teal’c was offworld. 

That left him to his own devices. 

Which was more often than not a bad thing. 

He could visit Harry Maybourne but he’d done that not too long ago. He didn’t want to wear out his welcome. He might need somewhere to retire and Harry might need a military advisor someday. Or maybe just some fly fishing advice. 

There _was_ someone he’d not seen in several years, a boy who’d taken the same name as his own son and even wanted to be his son. 

Charlie of the Re’tu. 

Charlie had been made by the Re’tu as a go between to warn the human race that the rebel Re’tu wanted to exterminate them in a war of attrition to kill off all the host sources for the Goa’uld, thus eventually killing off the Goa’uld themselves. Charlie’s ‘mother’ had given her life to warn them and rid them of unseen Re’tu infiltrators on Earth. 

The problem with Charlie had been that his human body was poorly made and he was ill when he first came through the Stargate in his little brown pants and black cowl. Janet had tried to save him but his problems were greater than her technology could mend so Jacob - Selmak - had taken the boy back to the Tok’ra to join him with a host who could help him heal and grow to adulthood. 

Jack had seen him every few years and had even gotten to know his symbiote, Telpak. But it had been almost three years since he’d seen Charlie. Charlie should be a grown man by now. 

That’s what he’d do. Visit Charlie. 

~~~

 

Chapter One – Devil Take the Hindmost

One would think that someone might notice that an important man like the Head of _Homeworld Security_ was not in his office. But no one did. 

Jack had gone home at ten in the morning to pack a few things. He’d stopped and gotten some doughnuts to eat on the way home. He got distracted by _Spongebob Squarepants_ on the television in the shop and stayed until almost noon. It wasn’t _The Simpsons_ but it was kind of funny. He arrive at his little apartment at about one and had packed some clothes in his backpack. He drank a couple of beers and debated calling Carter but he decided that she’d try to talk him out of it. 

He got in his car and drove all the way to St Louis, stopping only long enough to go to the bathroom, grab some coffee, and gas up until he crashed for the night at some travelers’ lodge right off the interstate, the kind with the forty-nine dollar rooms. His room was clean and all he did was sleep until his alarm woke him at 8 am, shower, then grab some food at a fast food joint and a supersized coffee and head west. 

It was about ten at night when he arrived in Colorado Springs. He debated going ahead and going to the SGC but thought he might raise too many alarms if he popped in that late at night so he found a cheap motel and slept until six the next morning. 

Jack got into the SGC early, earlier than Landry, for sure, but Walter was there and already in the control room. 

“General O’Neill, what are you doing here?” 

“I had some time off and thought I’d visit for a day or two. Guess I got here too early for Hank?” 

“He’ll be in at nine, always is.” 

“Could you run to the mess and get me some coffee? I didn’t have time to get any breakfast this morning.” 

Walter nodded and was gone. 

Jack turned off the automatic alarms and dialed the gate to a fairly random site, a site that had no real significance except that it had a working Stargate. He made sure no one was about and made his way to the Gate with his backpack and nothing else. He stepped into the gate. 

And came out on a pretty green planet with no humanoid population. It had once been teeming with them, until the Goa’uld had killed most and hauled the rest away to mine naquadah on some ugly, cold planet he’d forgotten the name of. 

He dialed another gate and went through the same procedure. 

Then did it again. And again a few more times simply for good measure. 

Finally, he dialed the planet where the Tok’ra were living. They built their homes in underground warrens that they transformed with a device that made tunnels of crystal and even collapsed them when danger was near, so they could evacuate without being followed. 

He was met with raised weapons as he stepped out of the Stargate. He didn’t recognize any of the Tok’ra nor they him. It had been a while. 

“Who are you?” One of the guards asked him.

“I am O’Neill of the Tau’ri.” 

A smile crossed the young guard’s face. “You’re Charlie’s friend.” 

“I am that. I actually came here to see Charlie. It’s been a couple of years.”

The guard nodded. “I will take you to the Elder. He will find Charlie for you.” 

Jack nodded and followed the young Tok’ra down a long, crystal hallway to a wide open room. This may have been where they brought Ba’al to get his symbiote removed. He sure was glad that Goa’uld was gone, very glad. Ba’al had killed him more times than he could count and had deserved any suffering he was subjected to.

The Elder was one of the Tok’ra he knew from that time, but he was the only one Jack recognized.

“Hello, General O’Neill. Your visit is unexpected. What brings you here?”

Right to the point, wasn’t he? Well, Jack liked that in a man, er, Tok’ra.

“I came to visit the boy, Charlie. Selmak brought him from Earth a long time ago.” 

“I wasn’t aware you knew Charlie.” 

“He got his name from me, my son, that is.” 

“Did you know that he has had his symbiote removed?” 

Panic ran through Jack for a moment. Was he all right?

“He is no longer a host but he is well. He still lives among us as do several humans and others who no longer carry symbiotes,” the Elder said, almost as if he’d read Jack’s mind. 

“When can I see him?” 

“It is almost time for dinner. Join us. Charlie will be there.”

Jack smiled and followed the Elder to the large hall where they all ate together each day. Jack had no trouble spotting Charlie. He looked like a grown up version of the serious little boy who had walked through the Stargate almost fifteen years ago in his ill-fitting robes. 

He was short, only about Carter’s height, and he was still as hairless as he’d been as a boy. His dark eyes were intense but Jack watched him until he saw that smile. Charlie’s smile lit up the room. Jack could hardly wait for the boy to see him. 

He knew the boy was not his boy, nor was he even related but Jack loved him because he’d touched his heart in a way no one had since his own Charlie. He had wanted to make the world safe for this child, to make his life good, but he’d not been able to do any of those things for the boy. Instead, these people, the Tok’ra, who he barely trusted at all, had had him here for fifteen years. They’d done the things for Charlie that Jack wanted to do. 

*

Back on Earth, in the office of _Homeworld Security_ , something was amiss. 

Someone had called for General O’Neill and no one knew where he was. His secretary was sure she’d seem him come in that morning, but the parking lot manager hadn’t seen him in a couple of days. 

Ms. Miller got on the phone and things began to get strange. No one, it seemed, could agree on the last time they’d seen General Jack O’Neill. Ms. Miller had no idea _whom_ to call. O’Neill answered directly to the President and the IOA. 

She finally called the President’s office and told his secretary about the missing O’Neill and had been assured that the President would be informed as soon as possible. 

She sighed and hung up the phone. She had done all she could. 

~~~


	2. Call in the Cavalry

Chapter Two – Call in the Cavalry

 

“He’s what?” Hank Landry nearly shouted into the phone. “Missing? General O’Neill?”

Landry had gotten the call a few minutes after he got into the office at the SGC. He’d hoped to catch Walter before he got off shift, but he missed him and Walter wouldn’t be back until Monday night. 

Sam Carter was at Area 51 again, working with Rodney McKay on some more of the ancient technology from the Pegasus Galaxy. Daniel Jackson was actually on the _Atlantis_ , pouring through some ancient tomes, hunting for some reference to Merlin and Morgan, something very important to him that would no doubt end up being important to them all eventually. 

Teal’c was on Chulak with his son, no doubt arguing with the other Jaffa over some obscure point of ancient law. Sometimes Landry thought the Jaffa fought more among themselves than the system lords had. He had already sent a message through the gate to alert him of Jack’s disappearance. 

His phone rang again, but it was the red one this time. 

“Hello, Mr. President.” 

“Do you know anything about O’Neill’s disappearance?”

“No, sir. I just got into my office and got a call from Homeworld. I was about to contact Carter, Jackson and Teal’c. Mitchell and Mal Doran should be here any minute.”

“Hank, are there some new enemies out there I don’t know about?” 

“If there are, sir, I’ve not been told. We are down to only ten teams now and we don’t go on missions every day as we once did. Our part of the galaxy seems to be pretty quiet, sir.” What he didn’t say was that there wasn’t enough money in the program anymore to send missions out every day. 

“Keep me posted, General Landry.”

“Yes, sir.” 

Cameron Mitchell tapped on his office door. “Sir? What’s this I hear about General O’Neill going missing?” Vala Mal Doran peeped from behind him. Landry wondered if there was more there than met the eye, but that would have to wait until later. 

“It seems that no one can find him. Would you all like to go up to his cabin and check it out?” Landry remembered the bizarre hunting trip he and Mitchell had gone on at O’Neill’s cabin. He certainly didn’t want to go back there anytime soon. 

“We can do that, sir, but doesn’t he have a phone there?”

“And you think he’d answer it?”

“Maybe he just wanted to get away from it all for a day or two,” Vala said. She was a little intimidated by General O’Neill, but knew that the rest of SG-1 held him in the highest esteem. 

“What about the others?” Cam asked.

“They are all notified and are on their way.” 

Mitchell nodded. “We’d best get at it ourselves. Ready to ride to the wilderness, Vala?” 

“Oh, I can hardly wait,” she trilled and followed him from General Landry’s office. 

*

Carter was alarmed when she got the message. Jack still had enemies out there. Even some of their allies didn’t like Jack very much. He could be a bull in a china shop sometimes. All the time, actually. 

But Carter knew what a good man he really was. 

And she loved him. 

No, they weren’t an official ‘couple’ but they did spend time together whenever their busy schedules would allow. She wanted to tell herself that Jack wouldn’t take off without telling her but she knew he would. He’d do whatever he wanted and not tell her because he knew she’d try to talk him out of it. And she would have, too. 

She put what she was working on on hold and headed for Colorado. Maybe she could poke around and find out what had happened. She hoped he was safe, wherever he was. 

*

Daniel was reading files in the library onboard the Pegasus when his phone rang. He glanced to see who it was and almost cut it off, but realized that he still worked for Landry and was here with Landry’s permission so he clicked it and held it to his ear. 

“Can I help you, sir?” 

“O’Neill is missing and the president is concerned.”

“Any ideas?” 

“Not yet, but Mitchell and Vala are checking his cabin and Carter is on her way back here.” 

“You need me, too?” Jackson did not want to leave the _Atlantis_. He was learning a lot of Ancient history from the archives here, filling in blanks that had bothered him for a long time. 

“I think we might. If we get no answers here, then we’ll go through the gate to hunt for him.” 

“Have you contacted Harry Maybourne? Jack has been to his planet before.” 

“We were going to but we decided to wait on that one. Contacting Maybourne might open a whole new can of worms.”

“Are we sure that Jack is in trouble?” Daniel knew Jack longed for the old days when they went on missions through the Stargate and saved the world on a regular basis. 

“We’re never sure of anything where General O’Neill is concerned. You know that. But the President has called and, well, I have to do something. He is the boss.”

Daniel sighed. “I’ll be there as soon as I can.” 

Landry said goodbye and put the phone back in its cradle. He decided that he would go to Chulak himself to talk to Teal’c. He changed into fatigues and headed for the Gateroom. He should be back soon but just in case, he wrote a few notes down to leave for Carter and Jackson. 

“Sir?” The tech in the control room was a fairly new hire. He’d come in since the Ori had been dealt with, so he’d never seen the General ready to go through the gate before. 

“Dial up Chulak, Martinez.” 

The young tech did so, calling out when each chevron locked just as Walter did. Landry was already down in the Gateroom by the time the Stargate opened with its characteristic whoosh. 

He stepped through and, in seconds, was coming out on Chulak. That gate was well guarded but several of the guards knew Landry by sight. 

They saluted him Earth fashion. 

In his down home, folksy way, Landry asked, “Do you think you fellas could direct me to Teal’c? I have to speak with him on urgent business.” 

One of the young guards volunteered to take the Tau’ri general to where he wished to go. 

~~~


	3. The Fat is in the fire

Chapter Three – The Fat is in the Fire

 

“How do you know that O’Neill is missing? You know how he is; he does as he wishes most of the time,” Teal’c said as he offered Landry some tea and a chance to sit down and talk.

“I think so, too, Teal’c, but he’d been missing more than a day before anyone ever even noticed it. The president is alarmed that the head of _Homeworld Security_ could just up and disappear.”

“I will need to make some assignments and speak to Master Bra’Tak then I shall accompany you back to Earth. I should like to help you locate O’Neill. I do hope he’s just run off on a wild bird hunt.”

It took Landry a moment but he got it. “Wild goose chase! I’m afraid _we_ might be the ones on a wild goose chase.” 

Teal’c nodded his agreement. “I shall go with you, nevertheless.”

They were ready to travel back through the gate within the hour. 

*

By evening, everyone was assembled, even Mitchell and Vala, who’d gotten back from Jack’s cabin already, thanks to a chopper that flew them. 

“Had he been there at all?” Landry asked Mitchell. 

“Not lately. The place was pretty dusty.” 

“Has anyone talked to Walter?” Carter asked.

“He’s off for a few days. He was gone when I got here this morning,” the general answered. “I’ll call him and ask him if he saw O’Neill.” 

They all waited and watched as Landry pulled out an old fashioned flip phone and punched some buttons. 

“Hi, Chief. Landry here. I hate to call you on your day off but I have a question. Did you see General O’Neill before you left?” He paused, listening to Walter’s answer. “I see. He _is_ a sneaky one. Okay.” More listening. “No, enjoy your weekend. We’ll call if we need you. Thanks, Chief.” 

Landry looked at them. “He went through the gate, Walter thinks. He came in and sent Walter for some coffee and when Walter returned, O’Neill was gone.”

“Damn!” Daniel seriously wanted to get back to the _Atlantis_ , but he knew that if there was trouble out there somewhere, then Jack would find it. 

*

Charlie was thrilled to have Jack visit. It had been such a long time and even though the Tok’ra had been good to him, he’d never bonded with any one of them as he had with Jack. 

“So what do you want to do?”

“I’d like to go fishing. Remember all the stories you’ve told me about fishing?”

Jack did indeed remember and fishing sounded like an excellent idea, the same idea he’d already had, as a matter of fact. But where? They’d search any likely planets, including Harry’s. 

“I do and we will, but I have figure out where to go first. I am, hmm, running away from home.” 

Charlie’s eyes lit up with understanding. Jack and the rest of SG-1 had supplied the boy will all manner of Earth books and entertainment all these years he’d lived here, so he’d no doubt read about people who ran away from home. 

“I remember a boy named Opie on _The Andy Griffith Show_ who packed to run away once but his father talked him into coming back home before the show was done. Why are you running away, Jack?” 

“I am tired of my job and the people I work for are not inclined to let me quit. It was fun when SG-1 went on missions all over the galaxy, righting wrongs and fighting the Goa’uld and the Ori and lots of other small time bad guys. We met many wonderful people who treated us as family. We met people who sacrificed much on our behalf, like your mother. But now, I sit in an office and read reports and tell the people who work for me that they can’t go out and do what is needed because someone in Washington or Beijing doesn’t want to pay for it. So I decided that I’d slip away unnoticed and visit you.”

“I am glad you came. Sometimes it is hard being without the Tok’ra symbiote. He was a good companion but the deal was that he would only stay until I was an adult and then find a new host. It is lonely with just me in here.”

“I wasn’t that fond of the symbiote I had. He got me tortured. And no one asked me.”

Charlie smiled at Jack. “Let us not dwell on things that make us unhappy then. Where shall we fish?”

“Well, I know a planet that might be all right. P9G-844 is the Sodan homeworld and they were almost wiped out by the Ori. Those who remain are in hiding somewhere so their planet isn’t currently being used. It’s a nice forested planet though and we should be able to find a stream or lake to fish in.” Jack had memorized that gate address as well as a few others before setting out. 

Charlie’s smile was even more brilliant than most because he was so often serious. “I am ready then, Jack!” 

Jack had a couple of portable fishing rods and some lures and hooks in his pack. He hoped the Tok’ra could supply them with some food and bedding, maybe some matches and a few utensils. 

“What are we waiting for then?” 

They gathered what they needed and Jack finally talked the Tok’ra into loaning him a weapon, in case they ran into trouble. 

“Ready?” He said as he got ready to dial the gate. He wouldn’t allow the Tok’ra to know where he and Charlie were going. 

Charlie nodded and when the wormhole opened, they stepped through the gate and seconds later, they stepped out into the green and forested world of the Sodan. Jack had decided that they’d go to the village first and see if there was anything they could salvage to make their stay more comfortable. 

*

The boy heard the Stargate open. It was a sound he hadn’t heard in a long time, not since the religious man came and everyone died soon after. It was good that he’d gotten his symbiote before that happened. It was good that he and Shelandra were deep in the caves that day as well. 

She was beside him suddenly. She put her hand in his and said, “I heard the gate. Someone is here. Maybe we can persuade them to take us away from here.” 

“This is our planet. We will not be made to leave.”

“There is no life for us here, Ranyon. We need to be with other people, other Sodan, if there are any. My father said we were all the Sodan in the galaxy, but there are Jaffa and that man who came, the good one, said the Jaffa are much like us,” the tall girl said as she pulled Ranyon toward the gate. “Let’s go see who has come.”

~~~


	4. Just What the Doctor Ordered

Chapter Four – Just What the Doctor Ordered

Jack knew as soon as they stepped through the gate that they weren’t alone. In the stillness before the wildlife went about their lives, he heard _something_ and his instincts were usually right. 

He didn’t say anything until they were on the way to the abandoned village. He mouthed silently to Charlie, “There’s someone here.” 

In a few moments, even Charlie could hear footfalls behind them. Just before they got to the village, Jack stopped and turned around. 

“Come out. We hear you. We mean you no harm.” 

Slowly, a boy and girl came out of the trees surrounding the path. Both were Sodan, with the tall good looks of their people. They looked to be in their late teens. 

“This is our home. Go away,” the boy said.

“How did you survive? I thought everyone was killed.” Jack was surprised to see Sodan here. He might have expected squatters, but not Sodan.

The girl spoke. “We were in a cave, hunting mushrooms for the chief elder to make medicines. We saw your people try to help. We ran away and hid.”

“No one has been here since then?” 

“Some Jaffa, we think they were, came to bury the dead. Other than that, no,” the boy said, defensive and distrustful already. 

“My friend, Charlie, and I have come to fish and camp. We have no interest in you at all. We just want a quiet place to spend a few days before we have to go home.” 

The girl spoke again. “They can stay, Ranyon. It will be good to have company. We have seen no one but each other for many years.”

That seemed to satisfy the boy and he nodded. “You may stay in the village. The chief’s hut is ours now, but you are welcome to any other. You must find your own food. Animals and fish are plentiful here.” 

With that, the two of them turned and walked to the village, leaving Charlie and Jack staring after them. 

*

General Landry was hovering over Carter. 

“Can’t you find out where he went? Isn’t there some kind of analysis that you can perform?” 

“I am doing all I can, sir. Ja-General O’Neill has been through the gate more than anyone else on earth with the possible exception of Daniel. He knows how to cover his tracks.”

“But can’t you-”

“I can start an analysis but it takes time and it will make the gate unusable until I finish with the analysis.” 

“Maybe we should send Teal’c and the rest out to look while you work here.” 

Carter looked up at him from her laptop. “That sounds like a good plan. I’d go talk to Harry Maybourne first if I were you.” 

Landry smiled that little smile he had when he’d made up his mind on a plan of action and left Carter to her own devices. 

She was angry with Jack. Very angry. What the hell was he thinking? Running off without so much as a ‘kiss my ass’. She knew he hated his job behind a desk all day. He really was a man of action. She hadn’t thought he’d run away from home though. That was something children and hormone driven teens did. 

Jack was neither, was he? Where would he go? 

She knew he’d go fishing but where? Not here on Earth, that much was certain. 

It was also certain that she might kill him when they found him, if he wasn’t already dead. 

*

Since Daniel had the gate address, he, Vala, Cam and Teal’c went through the gate to Harry Maybourne’s planet before Carter shut down the gate to analyze its data. 

“I’ve never met this Harry Maybourne, but I am surprised that Jack ever became his friend,” Cam said as they made their way from Harry’s gate to the city where he reigned as King Arkhan. 

“Well, Harry is a piece of work, I’ll say that much,” Daniel said. “Wait ‘til you meet his wives.” 

“Wives?” Mitchell had missed that on the mission report. 

“Apparently it is good to be the king,” Teal’c explained. 

“He is really a king?” Cam couldn’t wait to meet this guy!

“Yep. Think sleazy lounge lizard type. That’s our Harry. He was the worst of the worst at one time, but Jack found a tiny spark of decency in him so they’ve been friends ever since. In a strange sort of way though,” Daniel explained.

No sooner had Jackson spoken than two female guards stepped out of the trees. “Halt!” They raised bows at the visitors. 

“We are friends of O’Neill.” 

“O’Neill is not here!” One of the women answered. 

“Could we talk to Har- Arkhan? Please?” Daniel asked. 

The other woman motioned them toward the town and followed behind him with her bow up and arrow at the ready. Daniel was sure she was one of Harry’s wives. 

Harry was sitting on his throne in the town square. Even though Jack and the team had shown them that Harry really was just a man and not a prophet, the villagers had decided to keep him as their king. They liked him, he was fair and just, and life was fun around Harry Maybourne so he was still Arkhan the First. 

“Daniel Jackson!” Harry stood, a big smile on his face. In his arms was a baby, bundled in a purple blanket. “Meet Arkhan the Second!” He held the baby up for them to see. “Where is Jack? I wanted him to meet my son.” 

“That’s what we came to ask you,” Jackson said as Teal’c stepped closer to see the child. 

“I haven’t seen him. Why did you think he was here? Did he run away from home?” 

Daniel answered that one as well. “We think he did. He is now head of _Homeworld Security_ and works in DC. He hates it.”

“So you thought he’d run away to visit me? Well, he would be welcome, but he isn’t here. You will all stay for dinner?”

They knew they couldn’t gate back to Earth for several hours so they agreed. 

*

Carter had been able to find that even though he covered his tracks, Jack had left a data trail in the dialing computer that gave her the location of the gate that he had dialed, and when she checked the database, she found exactly what she knew she would find. It was a dead-end world. The only way she’d be able to find out where he went from there was to go there and analyze that gate as well. 

Jack had known exactly what he was doing. ~~~


	5. Children Should Be Heard

Chapter Five – Children Should Be Seen

 

Jack and Charlie picked one of the houses to stay in. It was cleaned up and set right after the destruction that had taken place there, though Jack did not know this from firsthand experience. They set their gear down and looked around before going outside to explore. 

“We need a fishing hole if we’re gonna fish. I expect it’ll be a lot faster if we ask those two where exactly the fishing hole might be.” 

Shelandra and Ranyon were sitting by a communal fire pit. It must have been the fire pit for the whole village before the village had been destroyed, as it was large and centrally located. 

“Do you two know where a guy might catch some fish for dinner?” Jack asked as if he were at a marina back on Earth. 

“There is a stream that way, only a few minutes’ walk from here,” Shelandra said. “The fish are plentiful and tasty.” 

“ _If_ you can catch them,” Ranyon taunted. 

“I was fishing before your parents were born, I expect,” Jack answered. “Would you like us to bring back enough for your dinner as well?” 

Ranyon laughed at him. “We would enjoy sharing but I am not going to count on you for dinner. Shelandra and I will provide vegetables and plenty of them, since that is all we will be eating.” 

Jack nodded and turned in the direction of the stream. 

It was a wide stream, about waist deep and filled with fish. Jack and Charlie could see them jumping up out of the water. 

Charlie watched them and turned to Jack. “I have eaten fish prepared by the Tok’ra but I’ve never even seen anyone catch fish. What if I cannot do it?” 

Jack took the small fishing rods out of his pack followed by his lures and hooks. As he tied them onto the line, he said, “Well, Charlie, it’s this way. It’s not really our skill as fishermen that makes us catch fish. All we do is put a line in the water. It’s up to the fish then. We just have to make sure our lure is alluring enough to make them think it’s food. So it all boils down to this: if the fish are hungry, they’ll bite.” 

Charlie smiled, a rare and wonderful thing. “Then let’s try it.”

They found a comfortable place to sit on the creek bank and Jack showed Charlie how to cast his line into the water then reel it in slowly as to attract the fish to his lure. He even showed him how to pull up gently when he felt a tug in order to catch the fish onto the hook. Then he cast his own line. They did not sit long before both of them got bites and Charlie was able to reel his fish in. It was a big one, almost a foot long. Jack helped him remove the hook from its mouth and they put it on a line that was anchored in the dirt on one end and dangled in the stream on the other. 

“Is it always this easy?” Charlie asked. 

“Not by a long shot, but even when the fish aren’t biting, sitting on the bank in the peace and quiet is a pleasant way to spend any day.” 

“I did not spend much time in nature with the Tok’ra, not with them living in hidden caves as they do most of the time.” 

“Do you like them?” Jack had never liked or trusted the Tok’ra though they’d been longtime allies. It was hard to trust people with a snake in their head! Besides, the guerilla war they’d waged against the Goa’uld sometimes reminded him of the religious extremists and their wars with anyone who disagreed with them back on Earth. He realized it was not the same, but they annoyed him anyway. 

“They were good to me and my symbiote was a very nice companion, but they were not like me. No one is like me, Jack.”

“No. That much is true but you are human and that makes you just like all of us humans in many ways. You simply don’t have the same life experience as we do. Neither does Vala, one of SG-1’s new members. She was not born on Earth and was a slave for a time when she was sold by her family. She also was a god when she had a symbiote, one of the Gao’uld system lords. She gets along fine now on Earth and so will you.” 

They talked and fished for hours, catching seven big fish before Jack called a halt to it. “Any more, we throw back. We don’t want to waste.” 

It was getting late in the day when they packed up and headed back to the village with their fish.

Shelandra smiled into her hand when she saw them come into the village with their stringer of fish. Ranyon was not nearly as amused. 

“We will have a feast tonight,” she declared as she bounded out to meet their visitors. 

Ranyon hung back. 

Jack watched the boy, weighing whether his jealousy was dangerous and deciding to keep an eye on him, simply to err on the side of caution. 

Jack and Shelandra cleaned the fish while Charlie and Ranyon watched, though Ranyon was much farther from them than Charlie. Shelandra found metal grates that fit in slots cut over the fire pit. They laid their dressed fish on large leaves and put them over the heat of the cook fire. The girl added vegetables to the grate as well. 

“Do you have a well?” Charlie asked, wanting to be helpful. 

Ranyon grudgingly agreed to go with him and the two set off for water while Shelandra and Jack worked on dinner. 

“She is my sister,” Ranyon said to Charlie, “and you are not Sodan so watch yourself around her.” 

Charlie had no experience with women or girls and had never thought much about either. He was more than a little confused by Ranyon’s warning. “What do you mean?”

“Just watch, because I am watching you.” With that, Ranyon grabbed his buckets of water and marched back toward the village, leaving Charlie behind in his haste. 

~~~


	6. It Takes All Kinds

Chapter Six – It Takes All Kinds

When SG-1 got back to Colorado, they reported what Sam already knew. Jack was not with Harry. 

“So Jack has basically run away like we thought he had?” General Landry asked when they all met in the debriefing room. 

“I assume so, but we can’t treat it that way,” Carter answered. “It’s possible that he was kidnapped and all the gate hopping was to hide his location from us. We can go to the location and trace his next move, but it’ll be time consuming.” 

“I don’t see an alternative. I’ll call the president and let him know what we know. I expect he’ll contact the I.O.A. as well, then God only knows. You know how dealing with them is.”

“So what do we do then?” Mitchell asked. 

“Mitchell, you, Daniel and Vala try some of Vala’s more _shady_ connections and see if there’s any chatter about the General.” 

Cam nearly laughed at the eye waggle from Landry when he said shady while Daniel groaned. He still held out that he disliked Vala, though everyone but him seemed to know it was a lie. 

“Can’t I-” Daniel started to say, but Landry cut him off.

“No, you can’t. It’ll take more than one of you to keep Vala out of trouble. You both know that.”

“Teal’c, you and Carter will be checking gates to see where Jack went and I will make those phone calls.” 

Everyone had their assignments, but they all just sat there for a few minutes. 

“Well, Vala, where shall we go?” Daniel asked. 

“I know a couple of planets that smugglers used to frequent. Someone there would have heard about any major new or old baddies making moves on Earth.” 

“Well, let’s grab our gear and go then.” Cameron rose from the table and headed to his locker to grab his pack. The weapons were in the weapons room right off the Gateroom. 

Minutes later, the three walked out of the Gateroom and onto a small planet known for being the place to go to pick up an odd job doing something perhaps a little less than legal. The bar Vala led them to looked like it came out of an old western movie with wooden tables occupied by men playing poker and being served by what could only described as saloon girls in frilly, old fashioned dresses that showed enough skin in the right places to garner just enough interest to make them a living too. 

“Well, as I live and breathe! It’s Vala Mal Doran!” The man who spoke was the size of a mountain. 

“Kellen! You old scoundrel!” She shouted as she hurried to his outstretched arms. He lifted her off of her feet as he swung her around. “I figured someone would have shot you by now!”

“They have, but I’m hard to kill.”

Daniel cleared his throat.

“Oh, Kellen, these are my friends, Daniel and Cameron. We need to find out if anyone has seen another friend of ours. He’s missing.” 

“We don’t get as much news as we used to out here, but I’ll help if I can,” he said as he led them to a table.

They sat at a table near the back, some distance away from the card games and loud noises. Kellen looked around before he spoke quietly. “The people in here are not quite as friendly as they used to be so it pays to be careful what you say.” 

They nodded. None of them were new to such places. 

“We are looking for Jack O’Neill of the Tau’ri. He’s gone missing from Earth,” Vala told him. 

“That’s a mighty big fish to lose! He still has a price on his head in a few places.”

“Have you heard anything?” 

“Not a peep. Word is he’s been promoted to a desk job and won’t be in anyone’s hair anymore.” 

Vala bought them all a drink and they chatted about old times, about Kellen’s wife and seven kids, about other people they knew for a while, then Vala pushed back her chair. 

“It’s been great seeing you again, but we have to be moving on. Tell the kids Aunt Vala sends her love! Hug Mari for me as well.” 

And they were gone. 

As soon as they left the saloon, Daniel said, “Aunt Vala? Really?” 

“Believe it or not, I did have a life before I met you, Daniel Jackson.” 

“But Aunt Vala?” 

“I stayed with Kellen and his family when I was younger. I used to babysit the children when Kellen and Mari went out on missions.”

“Missions?” Mitchell asked. 

“They were actually spies for the government of the planet. They never bothered the local smugglers, but no one wanted the Lucian Alliance or some other large crime syndicate to move in here.” 

“Wow! I’m impressed. Is he still a spy?” Mitchell wondered. 

“Nope. He owns the bar now and Mari stays home with the kids though some of them are grown now.” 

“So where to?” Daniel asked.

“I know just the place! They love me there.” 

The world they gated to was much like the one they left and so was the bar with one exception. Someone started shooting at them as soon as he recognized Vala. They made a run for the gate and ran through with bullets whizzing around them. They’d dialed home and came through the gate with guns blazing. 

Landry arrived in the control room by the time the Marines were standing down. “What in the Sam Hill is going on?” He shouted over the three of them, arguing with each other about whose fault it was. 

“We went to a … less than friendly planet,” Daniel explained. “There are people out there who don’t like Vala. Imagine that!” 

Vala launched into him, nose to nose. 

Cameron shrugged at General Landry. “See what I put up with?” 

“Stop it this minute,” Landry said. “Are you twelve?” 

They stopped and straightened themselves up, trying to look chastened. “Sorry, sir,” Jackson finally managed. 

“What did you find out?” 

“Nothing, nada, zilch,” Mitchell said. “If he’s out there, no one’s seen him in the place we checked.” 

“Well, go check some more.” 

They did, heading back through the gate. 

~~~


	7. Taking the Horse to Water

Chapter Seven – Taking the Horse to Water 

Jack and Charlie were oblivious to all the chaos that Jack had caused when he left Earth without a word. Actually, Charlie was oblivious but Jack was pretty sure someone would be looking for him by now. He just didn’t care enough to worry about it much. 

Jack was enjoying himself. The fish had been wonderful though a cold beer would certainly have made it even better. Charlie was as curious about the Sodan youths as they were about him. The pretty girl seemed to be very curious about Charlie, enough to make her brother sullen and angry, but what teenaged boy wasn’t? 

Jack sat back in the cool evening air and listened to the fire crackle. What were they going to do about the teens? He knew that he couldn’t leave them here alone any longer. Their people were all gone and this planet, while lovely, was no place for two youngsters. He certainly didn’t want to take them to the Tok’ra, though they might be well equipped in dealing with someone with a symbiote. 

A new day brought more exploring and more fishing. Jack was content to sit and fish all day, but Charlie had spent little time in the outdoors in his life with the Tok’ra so being out in the sunlight was a treat to him, not to mention all the rocks and trees and birds and, well, Charlie was amazed by all of it. 

The sun was high overhead when Charlie and the two Sodan youngsters wandered to the section of the stream where Jack was fishing. He’d not caught anything all day, mainly because he’d used no lure or bait but there was no need to tell Charlie that. 

“Jack, I would like to go hunting with Shelandra and Ranyon. They say we might hunt meat for dinner.” 

Jack wasn’t completely trusting of the Sodan boy, but Charlie was older than they were and it was not his place to tell a grown man what he could and could not do. 

He looked at Shelandra. “What are you hunting?”

“There are chickens that used to be kept by the women of the village but they are wild now, though we still sneak eggs from them and kill one now and again for food.”

“Chicken dinner sounds good. I’ll be here, fishing.” He smiled at his private joke and waved them all away. 

 

*

Hunting wild chickens was a fairly easy task and they’d killed two roosters in less than an hour. They took care not to harm the chief rooster as they wanted to insure they had plenty of chickens and eggs for the future. 

Charlie had shot one of them with his bow and was surprised to be congratulated by Ranyon.

“I did not think you would be able to do it, but you seem to be a fine bowman.”

“I studied archery as well as modern weaponry with the Tok’ra,” Charlie told him. 

“Are they Goa’uld?” Ranyon asked. He had heard of the Tok’ra, but the adults were all gone before he was old enough to know who exactly they were.

They were dressing their chickens as they talked. Charlie watched Shelandra and did as she did. 

“Well, they were the same creature as the Goa’uld, but they did not take forced hosts. Their relationship with their host body was by consent. They communicate with each other and the host is allowed to use the body as well. I carried a Tok’ra for years.” 

Ranyon dropped his knife and backed up, his face a mix of anger and fear. 

“Oh, I no longer have it. I was very sick when the Tok’ra took me in. I had been made by a race called the Re’tu in order to tell the humans on Earth that some rebel Re’tu were going to try to exterminate them in order to get rid of all the Goa’uld hosts. My ‘mother’ died and left me with Jack O’Neill and the Tok’ra took me to their home for a symbiote to join with me and save me because my body had been made in haste and with genetic errors that would have killed me soon.” 

Ranyon moved closer though he still looked a little scared. 

“These Tok’ra are the enemy of Goa’uld?” 

“They are. They wish to live peacefully.”

“Will you go back to them?” Shelandra asked. 

“I think not, since I no longer carry one of them.”

“Would you like to join us here?” she asked, ignoring the dark looks from her brother. 

“I am afraid I would be more hindrance than help. I know so little about the way you live.” 

“He does not want to live ruggedly as the Sodan do,” Ranyon said, sounding like his forefathers as they talked of their deserved reputation as warriors.

“You don’t know what he wants, Ranyon!” Shelandra snapped. “We are the last of the Sodan, if we do not get away from this place and have children of our own or take in new members of our tribe.” 

“Sodan take care of themselves!”

“In a few years, we will need new symbiotes and we will die if we do not get them,” she snapped at her brother. 

Charlie spoke up. “Most of the Jaffa no longer carry symbiotes. That is how they were able to stay free of the Goa’uld.” 

Ranyon was disbelieving. “You lie!” 

“I do not. There is a medication that has the same ingredient in it that the symbiote gives off and it can enable a Jaffa to break free of carrying symbiotes.” 

Shelandra was fascinated. “That would mean we could travel anywhere as long as we have this medicine without having to hunt symbiotes.” 

“It would mean we are no longer Sodan!” 

Shelandra stood, grabbed both chickens and headed toward their home without another word. 

Ranyon growled at Charlie. “You have already sewn discord in my family!” 

Charlie gathered up the tools and weapons and headed for the village as well. 

*

Jack had thought about them all day and had decided that he would talk to Teal’c. There were still Sodan out there somewhere but they’d left their homeworld and he had no idea where they might be, but the Jaffa were their closest kin and held them in high esteem. Teal’c would give the youngsters a good home and a future. 

But what about Charlie? 

~~~


	8. Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

Chapter Eight – Nothing Ventured, Nothing Gained

 

Carter sighed and wiped at the fine sheen of sweat on her face. “I hate to say this, Teal’c, but I could use a little help from Ba’al right now. He was awfully good with gates.” 

“Perhaps we can find another of those clones somewhere.” 

It took a moment to realize that he was actually joking. She smiled. “I sure hope not. One of Ba’al was enough.” 

While Samantha worked on the gate diagnostics, Teal’c scouted the area around the gate for signs that O’Neill had been there. He found a set of clear tracks leading back to the gate. They were boots tracks and about O’Neill’s size. 

“He left tracks.” 

“Of course he did. Why didn’t he just tell someone where he was going?” She felt exasperated and a little angry that he hadn’t trusted her enough to tell her. 

“He knew someone would stop him or want to go with him.” 

“Yep, that’s our Jack, I suppose.” 

“And someone would have stopped him: the president, the IOA, someone.” 

“They should have left him where he was. He never wanted to be a General. He loved being a soldier, not a desk jockey.”

“Perhaps they will listen to him now,” Teal’c said. 

“They’ll probably just give him another promotion, though I’m not sure what else he could do.” 

“Maybe he could be president.” 

“Oh, no! Don’t even say that! Jack would have us in a war with our friends in a week. Then he’d go fishing. Ah, here we go. Got the next one. Shall we try it?” 

They did and came out at yet another world without Jack. 

“Let’s look around and go to the next one,” Teal’c said as he began to look for signs someone had been there. 

*

Cam, Vala and Daniel weren’t faring much better. As a matter of fact, they’d been threatened, shot at and someone had offered to buy Mitchell, so far, but no news of Jack O’Neill or his whereabouts. 

Daniel asked Vala, “Did you piss off everyone you ever met?” 

She smiled sweetly. “Everyone but General Landry and sweet ol’ Cameron. You?” 

Daniel grunted and dialed the gate. At least no one was trying to shoot them here, though the man who’d offered to buy Mitchell didn’t seem to take it so well when she’d refused to sell him. 

Within minutes, they were making their way into yet another frontier village with a big saloon in the center of the town. 

“Vala Mal Doran! Long time!” A thick little woman ran up and hugged Vala. “How the heck are you?” 

“Lily! It’s been way too long.” 

“Where you living these days? I remember when you worked here and slept in the stockroom until Muncie the Elder found out.”

“At least he was nice enough to place me with your family, Lily. I live on Earth now and these are my business partners, Daniel and Cameron.”

“Easy on the eyes, they are. What can we do for you?” 

“We’re looking for our friend, Jack O’Neill-”

“Jack O’Neill of the Tau’ri?” The man who asked was a burly fellow who looked as if he’d seen better times. 

“Have you seen him?” 

“No, but I’d like to. Getting rid of the Goa’uld and that damned bunch of outlaws that took their place was the best thing that ever happened to me. I’d buy him a drink.” 

Vala was surprised. She knew that not many of the denizens of this place were honest men; in fact, most were smugglers themselves. “Really?” 

“Yeah, we can ply our trade now and not worry about being made a slave or being shot by the Lucian Alliance.”

Even Daniel and Cam understood that and hoped that this would be a friendly planet rather than another one filled with people who were less than fond of Vala. 

“If none of you have seen him, we do need to be going so we can continue our search.” 

“Since he ain’t here, we’ll buy you three a drink,” the man said and, in this case, even Vala was wise enough to realize that going along with him was the best idea for everyone. 

*

Teal’c and Carter had been gate chasing most of the day when they decided to gate back home. Landry was waiting for them when they arrived. 

“Well?”

“We traced him to several planets, but he was still ahead of us. It was getting late and I wasn’t sure how long it would take to run the diagnostic on the last gate we went to. I thought that we could go back with fresh eyes tomorrow,” Carter reported. 

“Any ideas where he is?” 

“Somewhere with good fishing,” Carter answered. “He’ll come back when he’s ready. Jack is Jack and he does things like this. I wish he’d told someone what he was up to though.”

Landry nodded. He knew Jack, but not nearly as well as his former team and well, Carter, who he expected was more than just a friend, though neither of them would let it get in the way of their jobs. 

There was little left to do so Carter and Teal’c said goodnight and went to their rooms within the complex. 

*

On the Sodan homeworld, the four inhabitants sat around the fire in the dark. The chicken had been delicious. Jack was telling stories of his adventures with SG-1 and how he convinced the First Prime of Apophis to leave his master and join the Tau’ri. 

“Were you scared of the Goa’uld?” 

“Of course I was, but I was more angry than afraid. They were bullies, forcing good people to do evil. And they wanted Earth.” 

“Are there Sodan left out there?” Shalandra asked a bit later. 

“I think so. They did not want to be part of any organized group so they went off on their own… I have not heard from them since but I believe with their skills, they’re still alive.”

Ranyon said, “I wonder if we might find them someday.” 

“Not if you stay here. Someday, someone else will decide they want this planet, and they’ll take it from you and kill you both if you get in the way. Or maybe just because they can,” Jack responded. 

“Are you being truthful or just manipulating us to do as you think we should?” Ranyon asked.

“What you do is up to you and your sister. I have nothing invested either way. I’m just telling you how it is.” 

The boy looked thoughtful as Jack got up and went inside the small house to go to sleep. He knew it might be time to think about going home. Carter was probably mad enough to kill him as it was. 

He made up his mind. He and Charlie would head home first thing in the morning.

~~~


	9. The Proof in the Pudding

Chapter Nine – The Proof in the Pudding 

 

The claxon went off in the Gateroom, signaling an incoming wormhole. Daniel, Cam and Vala came strolling through it when the iris opened. Landry had been half expecting them to roll in hot since it seemed that Vala had many more enemies than friends, though he figured a few of her friends might shoot at her too. He knew he’d wanted to once or twice. 

“Anything?” Landry asked as soon as they were through the gate. 

“Nope, but we did get an offer for Cameron. A man wants to buy him,” Vala announced with a smile. 

“Did he make you a decent offer?” Landry asked without missing a beat. 

“He’s still with us, isn’t he?” 

Cam grinned and said nothing. Daniel just looked pained, as he always did when Vala was involved. The only person his act fooled was Daniel himself. Even Vala knew he had feelings for her and she told him so every chance she got. Someday, perhaps, it would sink in.

“Carter and Teal’c are about to gate back out to follow Jack’s trail. Since you’ve gotten nowhere in your quest, why don’t you go with them?” 

The whole team went to the planet that Sam and Teal’c returned from the day before. They explored while Sam and Daniel worked on the DHD’s diagnostics. As before, it took several hours to find the next destination and when they did, they dialed it up and through the gate they went, this time finding themselves surrounded by armed Tok’ra guards. 

The whole team raised their hands in surrender. When they explained how and why they’d come through the gate, they were taken to the Elder. 

“Thank you for talking to us, sir. We’re hunting General O’Neill. When we traced where he’d gated to, this gate came up,” Carter explained. Besides being the ranking officer, she also had once carried a Tok’ra symbiote as had as her own father. He’d carried a symbiote named Selmak several years before he’d died.

“O’Neill was here. He came for the boy, Charlie, and they left. I assume they took as circuitous a route to wherever they were going as he did to get here. He said something about going fishing.” 

Carter sighed aloud. “I knew he was up to something like this. I just wish that the President hadn’t gotten so involved as to have us chasing all over the galaxy hunting for him.” 

“I’m sorry I have nothing further to tell you, but O’Neill was not forthcoming with his destination and as the boy is an adult, we felt no need to press.”

“Jack always had a soft spot for Charlie,” Daniel said, “especially since the boy took Charlie for his own name after finding out about Jack’s son.”

Carter thanked the Tok’ra leader as they rose to leave. “We will report back to General Landry and find out what he wishes us to do now. It is always good to see the Tok’ra.” 

*

Back in Colorado, they made their report to Landry. He made that wry face again and sighed. “I knew it was something like this, but the president insisted. The new man has never understood Jack like Hayes did. Hell, I don’t understand him, like President Hayes or General Hammond did.”

“Shall we still try to find him then, sir?” Carter asked. “I can’t say much for his chances of survival when we do though.” 

“I think he’ll come back when he’s ready. I’ll try to get the president to understand _and_ I’ll let the IOA know what is going on.” 

“I shall return home then, General Landry. We have some important votes coming up and I’d like to be there for them,” Teal’c said as he prepared to go through the gate. 

Landry nodded and thanked the Jaffa for his help and his time away from home. 

“Well, I have a couple of phone calls to make and I’ll treat you all to dinner in the mess hall,” Landry told the rest as he left them in the control room. 

*

Bra’tac met Teal’c at the gate. “You have guests. They are waiting in your home. I have been playing host until you returned.” 

Bra’tac gave no hint as to who was waiting for Teal’c but he had a fair idea. 

He opened the door and smiled as Jack O’Neill rose to his feet. 

“O’Neill, it is good to see you. I have been helping SG-1 look for you.” It was only then that he noticed that O’Neill was not alone. He was accompanied by young Charlie and two other youths who appeared to be Jaffa. They also appeared to be siblings from their strong resemblance. 

“Teal’c, you remember Charlie? And this is Shelandra and Ranyon, her brother. They are Sodan, left alone on their homeworld.”

“I am most pleased to meet you. Your people are revered among the Jaffa.” He bowed. 

Both of the youngsters bowed in return, a little in awe of this giant Jaffa. This was the man who had been First Prime of Apophis and a leader among his people. 

“What can we do for these young people, O’Neill?” 

“I have been thinking that perhaps Ranyon and Shelandra might live among the Jaffa until they find what is left of the Sodan. Their planet is beautiful and bountiful but they are alone there and lack any means to be trained as Sodan warriors so I thought perhaps you might train them until they are reunited with their own people.” 

“Is this what you desire as well?” Teal’c asked both of them. 

Ranyon spoke. “I believe that my sister and I can manage just fine on our own planet, but I am willing to sacrifice and live among the Jaffa for my sister’s sake. She desires the company of others.” 

Teal’c managed not to smile at the youth’s brave, face-saving words. He would have said the same thing himself in the same situation. 

“I will ask our council to vote on it tonight, but I see no reason to believe that they would deny your request.” 

Jack smiled and patted Teal’c awkwardly on the shoulder. “Good deal.” 

~~~


	10. There's No Place Like Home

Chapter Ten – There’s No Place Like Home 

 

Jack and Charlie stayed on Chulak long enough to dine with Teal’c and Master Bra’tac. Dinner was bountiful and Jack enjoyed watching Ranyon and Shelandra eat. They’d had a simple diet for so long that he was sure the rich food of the Jaffa would give them both more than one stomach ache before they became used to it. 

Jack thought they would do well with the Jaffa and he hoped they’d agree to take the Tretonin as well. He knew that they would look for the remainder of the Sodan and he hoped they found them as both youths would make fine and honorable additions to an already legendary people.

Charlie had been quiet all evening though he did not seem sad, just thoughtful. 

“What’s on your mind, son?” 

“I am wondering about my own future. Am I to go back to the Tok’ra?” 

“What do you want to do?”

“What I’ve always wanted, to live on Earth near to you.” 

“Well, I don’t see why we can’t work that out. You are an adult now and there is no reason that you can’t decide yourself where you want to live.” 

The smile that lit up the solemn boy’s face also lit up the room. He couldn’t keep his news to himself. 

“Jack is taking me back to Earth to live!” He announced to all at the table. Teal’c smiled and nodded to Jack.

After dinner, Jack bid Teal’c and their Sodan friends goodbye. He and Charlie dialed Earth and, within seconds, were walking through the gate at the SGC. Walter was manning the Control Room. 

“Welcome back, General O’Neill. They’ve all been looking for you.” 

“I’m in trouble, huh?” 

“Big trouble, sir, big trouble.” 

“Well, me and Charlie are going to borrow a couple of beds here in the barracks and we’ll see them all tomorrow. Will you tell them that for me, Walter?” 

Walter smiled. Some things never changed. “I surely will, sir.” 

Jack threw an arm around Charlie’s shoulder. “Remember Carter?” he said as they walked to the barracks. 

~end~ 


End file.
